A business analyst holds a crucial role in a company’s asset. They have to make sure that the company owners’ requirements match the end users’ needs. When dealing with business analytics, they have to keep a seamless communication between the IT department and the business managers about the management of the ongoing testings and results their tasks are bringing in. Their main job consists in implementing numerous variants of the same testing, even managing different testings at the same time. And they can learn all about that in a business analyst course.

The business analyst is expected to bridge the gap between the traditional and advanced practices of information gathering; this one single task helps all the project team members save time that would be used otherwise to pull data from a spreadsheet and then feed it into the Excel sheet to make it accessible at different points.

Business analyst’s job is so sensitive at every stage of the product development and the customer’s journey that even a single mistake can compromise the entire business effort. This is why it is so crucial to have a prior knowledge thanks to a business analytics certification.

It may happen some time that a business analyst could ask for the approval of documented requirements without a prior understanding with all his supervisors. This is a common mistake, yet very hurting. As a business analyst, you may want to get a fast approval to move forward to the next testing phase, but this move would get you in a difficult position in front of the stakeholders that surely want to express their opinions and concerns before moving on an uncertain path.

Another time you could be tempted to use the template of BRD (Business Requirements Document) to check all your projects when in reality every single phase of your job requires a different point of view and measuring parameters. Using the BRD template may instead hurt your reviewing phase as it could hit a roadblock on a project that requires a totally different parameter to be measured. You could end up consuming more time than you expected and getting results that are irrelevant to your task. Keep in mind this when you are about to start a new project. And keep in mind that being a business analyst requires you to hold a solid business analytics training.

Here you will find the most common five mistakes business analyst makes, and we will give you the prompt solutions in order to avoid them.

You decide to review by yourself the task you are carrying on to move forward in the testing phase. This is a very common mistake made by new business analysts that want to rush to the next stage of their project without taking in consideration what their superiors have to say about the job done so far. Always keep in mind that as a business analyst it is very important to share your findings with those above your job position and the company owners that want to state clearly their viewpoint about the task. This will also ensure that minor mistakes will be made or avoided altogether in the next phase of the project.

You do not employ a technical language when it comes to show a technical job you have carried on so far. Business analysts are expected to keep the requirements tested and well structured. A skill you can learn thanks to your business analyst training. Business analysts should take advantage of the SMART approach: Specific – Measurable – Attainable – Realizable – Time-bound. Going a step ahead from this commonly used ‘SMART’ approach, you can follow – SMART-CC that adds Complete & Concise also to ‘SMART’ acronym. The first organism you have to keep accountable of your job is your organization itself. As your primary job is running numerous tests about the product and its components you have to use a technical language shared by the other counterparts involved. This way, there will be no confusion where you are going to expose your findings.

Getting into the design phase too early. It will often happen during your practice as business analyst that stakeholders and business owners will try to move to the design phase of the product or software without giving a first look to the insights you have gathered during your research and testing phase. You have to step in and reinstate that first of all they have to look at the results gained from the testing stage, and only after the gained data gets a seal of approval they can get to the design and implementation phase.

By now, it will be clear to you that a crucial part of your job is to keep a open and clear line of communication with the company decision makers. And here lies another big mistake: not having a proper conversation with them. You should engage in meetings based on the data you have gathered so far and in meetings that take place in order to spread light on the business owners’ needs and requirements. No further communication should be involved, so that your team doesn’t get confused or distracted.

Do not think that even though you have done your thorough analysis and gather enough data to move forward on the next step of your job, you can do so without consulting your business superiors. Too many business analysts assume they are good to go as soon as they finish the testing phase; yet, this can be the moment they commit the major number of mistakes.

Finally, keep in mind that good communication is the core of your job as a business analyst. Master this skill and all other phases will be a breeze to carry out!